recent food-related bird observations in Lamar area
DAVID A LEATHERMAN
I recently had the privilege of being in Lamar for the period of April 29-May 15. Of course, I sought “good” birds but could amuse myself with “hungry bird” issues when species worthy of an “alert” weren’t known. As we all know this has been a very strange year of weather so far. The winter was unusually mild with very little snow fall or extreme cold. Many trees and other plants leafed out early. In their haste, some got “burned” with freezes (netleaf hackberry below the dam at Two Buttes is a good example) but most got away with it and are advanced in development for the date and look good. This can have some cons for birds. Warm conditions trigger altered phenology in the plants and can also lead to altered phenology in the insects these trees support. Food items migrants historically depend on might not be available when the birds pass thru. The gall-making psyllids in hackberry are a good example. The overwintering adults emerged early this year. Enroute from bark crevices to lay eggs on hackberry buds, they are normally fare for migrant birds. This year the adults were long gone and their offspring entrenched within leaves by the time of peak neotropical bird migration.
The following are a few bird/food highlights from Lamar of late.
- Early in the visit, honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos) was the tree of choice for neotropical migrants. Goodies included a Northern Parula and the best bird on Earth, Blackburnian Warbler. Net-sampling of honeylocusts at Fairmount Cemetery revealed the attractions as honeylocust leafhopper Macropsis fumipennis) that feeds on the leaves and an unidentified plant bug (family Miridae) associated with the flowers.
- At this time of years, if allocated runs of water, local farmers flood-irrigate their hay (alfalfa) fields. The water flushes insects to the surface that become an ephemeral banquet for many types of birds. This was discovered by Brandon Percival along SR196 just e of Prowers CR10 on May 1. Notables in this field were a Hudsonian Godwit, Hudsonian Whimbrel, two Marbled Godwits, many other shorebird species, Cattle Egrets, many White-faced Ibis, a Glossy Ibis, ducks, gulls and blackbirds.
- Starting about May 9, a big push of pass-thru migrants discovered currant psyllids (Cacopsylla ribesiae) on golden currants (Ribes aureum) in the understory of the Lamar Community College Woods. Glenn, Steve and many other birders found Mourning, Blackpoll, Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Northern Parula, Tennessee and at least 6 other warbler species plus Clay-colored Sparrows and Swainson’s Thrushes in good numbers down in the currant understory. My take on this is that the currant psyllids are doing better than usual this spring and other insects, especially those in the cottonwood and hackberry overstory, are in short supply.
Eastern Towhee female scratching for old Russian-olive seeds along north short of Lake Hasty on April 30.
Wilson’s Phalarope giving a freshly-emerged adult psyllid 10 seconds of newly-experienced life above the water surface before snapping it up.
Molting male Summer Tanager discovered by Brandon Percival at Riverside Cemetery on May 1 eating a common green darner it found in a juniper.
Great Plains camel cricket (Daihinia brevipes), one of 20 camel crickets of two species, found impaled by Loggerhead Shrike along the Lamar Truck Bypass on May 1.
Blackburnina Warbler feeding on insects in honeylocust at Fairmount Cemetery on 2 May. The leafhopper and plant bug were its primary quarries. A Northern Parula, several Yellow-rumped Warblers, Orange-crowned Warblers and Yellow Warblers did the same.
Loggerhead Shrike-impaled common striped bark scorpion (Centruroides vittatus) and American bumble bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) found along Bent CR JJ west of Hasty on May 5. Both of these are new to my personal experience involving thousands of shrike-impaled prey items on the eastern plains of CO. Every time I see a nocturnal creature like the scorpion on a fence, I wonder how the shrike finds it. Do the activities of nocturnal and diurnal animals overlap at dawn and dusk? Do shrikes flip debris like small, dry cowpies to find things hiding under it? Do shrikes use headlamps and blacklights at night?
Currant psyllids of mixed life stages (note adult at lower left) on the underside of a golden currant leaf. The white material is wax extruded from the rear ends of nymphs. These sap-sucking insects also excrete sugary honeydew which is attractive to an additional bird food item, ants.
At left, male Blackpoll Warbler hunting currant psyllids at the LCC Woods on May 10, 2026. At right, male Bay-breasted Warbler hunting currant psyllids at the LCC Wood on May 13, 2026.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
Wayne Wathen
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2026 3:22:17 PM
To: cob...@googlegroups.com <cob...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [cobirds] recent food-related bird observations in Lamar area
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To post to this group, send email to cob...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds
* All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate.
* Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/membership/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/DM6PR12MB3435DE19FC21F06B1B5D8759C1022%40DM6PR12MB3435.namprd12.prod.outlook.com.